"There are things I wished I did differently" - Adrian Lee unsatisfied with his flawless MMA debut vs. Antonio Mammarella
Adrian Lee turned a lot of heads when he justified all the hype surrounding him at ONE 167 last June.
While most fighters would have been satisfied after such a stellar promotional debut, the 18-year-old rising star will always be his own harshest critic.
In an interview with Cageside Press, Lee admitted he expected more from himself in his second-round submission victory over Antonio Mammarella:
"However, when I watched back the fight, there are things I wished I did differently. But it's stuff I can improve on."
Looking back, Lee came out like a blazing fireball as soon as the bell rang in his first professional MMA foray.
There were no first-time jitters whatsoever for the Singaporean-American star, who fought like a veteran with multiple years on his belt. 'The Phenom's' striking looked crisp, which he chained perfectly with his elite wrestling and BJJ pedigree.
Perhaps the only thing he regrets is not being able to put away Mammarella much quicker.
To be fair, Lee was about to take the Australian's arm home via a nasty kimura but he ran out of time in round one.
The Prodigy Training Center representative finished the job in the second round with a rear-naked choke, earning him a cool $50,000 performance bonus.
Rewatch Adrian Lee's triumphant MMA debut:
Adrian Lee says MMA debut is his "greatest accomplishment" by far
In an interview with ONE Championship, Adrian Lee admitted that beating Mammarella was the defining moment of his young career by far:
"My greatest accomplishment I think was winning my ONE debut," he shared.
Given Lee's prodigious skills that seem to get better with each passing day, it's safe to say he'll have more epic experiences in the coming years.
'The Phenom' can add another core memory on Sept. 6, when he duels Nico Cornejo in a three-round lightweight MMA tiff at ONE 168: Denver.
Tickets for this stacked card at Ball Arena are available via Ticketmaster.
Watch Adrian Lee's full Cageside Press interview: